Seasonal Flu: Cases and Comments

Each year, influenza infects approximately 20 percent of the population of the United States, resulting in 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths.1 Influenza manifests in its hosts with a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue, though some people also experience vomiting and diarrhea. Recovery times vary from a few days to two weeks, but in high risk groups such as young children, adults over sixty-five, or people with compromised immune systems, complications can occur2. The most common complications are pneumonia and bronchitis, which lead to the thousands of deaths each year.

A vaccine is the most effective form of prevention; it can cut your risk of developing the disease by up to ninety percent, depending on a variety of factors including the effectiveness of the vaccine that year 4. Given the scope and the seriousness of the problem that influenza poses, it is shocking how many people choose to avoid vaccination. According to a representative survey of adults, nearly half of Americans plan to forego a flu vaccine3.

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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics does not advocate particular positions
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